Search form

You are here

Low-Cal Cocktail Recipes for St. Patrick's Day

14 festive bevvies that you can drink and still shrink!

Tiffany Tse

St. Patrick’s Day is one of the booziest holidays of the year, often serving as an excuse for people to indulge in high-calorie, sugar-packed cocktails at their local watering holes. Try something new this year and craft one of these 14 low-calorie drinks at home. Each green-themed bevvie is festive enough for St. Paddy’s Day but suitably healthy for diet-conscious drinkers.

Spearmint Vodka Cooler

83 calories, 10 grams sugar

Indulge in this vodka cooler without feeling the slightest bit guilty. The refreshing cocktail is infused with cool minty flavor, thanks to organic spearmint tea, and each serving clocks in just 83 calories.

Pour boiling water over tea and infuse 4-7 minutes. Strain tea and pour into a pitcher filled with ice. Stir in vodka, lime juice, and agave nectar. Garnish glasses with mint sprigs and lime wedges.

Makes 6 servings.

Margarita Green

92 calories, 1 gram sugar

While plenty of bars will serve sugar-loaded margaritas during happy hour, you can whip up a healthier version at home with this simple recipe. Plus, the color will definitely put you in a festive mood!

Created by James Labe, this tea-based concoction will help you and your friends celebrate St. Paddy’s Day like the Irish prefer without costing you too many calories. Bottoms up!

Ingredients:

1 Numi Decaf Ginger Lemon tea bag

3 oz. fresh cucumber juice

1 1/2 oz. tequila

Splash of lemon juice

Directions:

Infuse one tea bag in tequila for 30 minutes, then remove bag, squeezing out excess. Combine and stir ingredients. Serve on the rocks. Garnish with lime wedge.

Minty Peach Martini

130 calories, 10 grams sugar

Skip the green-colored beer this year and try crafting this low-cal martini created by The Cocktail Guru Jonathan Pogash. Fresh lemon juice and peach-flavored vodka lends the drink a fresh, fruity boost.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Van Gogh Cool Peach Vodka

1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. agave nectar

8-10 mint leaves

Directions:

Add ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and shake very well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with mint sprig.

Get Lucky Margarita

67 calories, 10 grams sugar

Another take on the healthy margarita, this yummy cocktail has shockingly few calories. A little sweet and a lot boozy, the St. Paddy’s Day-themed drink is enhanced by a splash of freshly squeezed lime.

Ingredients:

3 oz. Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling ICE

1 oz. tequila

Splash of triple sec

Fresh squeezed lime

Directions:

Shake and pour into a chilled rocks glass rimmed in salt.

Leprechaun's Gold

111 calories, 7.3 grams sugar

This is the easiest St. Patrick’s Day cocktail you’ll ever make. All you have to do is pour VnC’s Mojito into a glass and serve! Comprised of premium New Zealand vodka, mint, and lime juice, the all-natural bevvie comes ready to serve but tastes like it was made by a professional mixologist.

Ingredients:

VnC’s Mojito

Directions:

Pour into a glass.

Irish Isle

84 calories, 0 grams sugar

This tasty bevvy is even better than finding a pot ‘o gold on St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks to a low-cal mojito mix, you get a guilt-free drink potent enough to get you tipsy without toppling your daily calorie intake!

Ingredients:

1 part vodka

2 parts refine Mojito Mix

Splash of club soda

2 tsp. muddled cucumber

Directions:

Mix 2 oz. vodka and 1 oz. refined Mojito Mix. Shake and strain into glass, then splash with club soda and garnish with lime. For an added fresh taste, muddle 3-4 slices of cucumber and pour into glass.

Spicy Clover

185 calories, 20-25 grams sugar

Greystone Manor Supperclub, a hot new nightclub in Los Angeles, crafted a delectable drink in honor of the holiday. But watch out: This blend of freshly squeezed juices and orange vodka gets an extra spicy kick from a slice of jalapeno!

Ingredients:

2 oz. Grey Goose Orange Vodka

3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

3/4 oz. simple syrup

1/2 oz. orange juice

1 jalapeno

Directions:

Muddle 1 jalepeno in a mixing glass, then add juices and vodka. Fill mixing glass with ice; shake and serve up in a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Emerald Sour

150 calories, 8 grams sugar

Sure, this beverage looks fancy, but it’s a snap to make! Plus, it’s only fitting to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by mixing up a drink with Jameson Irish Whiskey courtesy of Renaissance Hotels.

No St. Patrick’s Day party is complete without a shamrock shot among friends. Melon liquor infuses each one of these lower-calorie libations with flavor and a festive green hue.

Ingredients:

2 oz. VuQo Vodka

1 oz. DeKuyper® Melon Liqueur

Splash of lemon lime soda

Directions:

Combine in cocktail shaker with ice, shake, pour and serve.

Lucky Lad

105 calories, 6.41 grams sugar

This boozy bevvie hovers at just about 100 calories, allowing you to drink and still shrink! Plus, the addition of green-colored fruit like kiwi and grapes makes it perfectly appropriate for the holiday.

Ingredients:

2 oz. TY KU Liqueur

1 oz. Fresca

Muddled kiwi (1 slice)

Green grapes (1 grape)

Lemon (1 slice)

Directions:

Stir TY KU Liqueur and Fresca together in glass, muddle kiwi in liquid, add sliced green grape, top with squeeze of lemon, and serve.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

206 calories, 4.5 grams sugar

This lucky, low-cal cocktail gets its bright green color from melon liquor and its refreshing taste from sparkling wine. Every bubbly sip is worth the 206 calories this drink will cost you.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 oz. VOGA Sparkling

1 oz. Midori Melon Liquor

1 oz. vodka

1 1/2 oz. lemonade

Directions:

In a shaker, combine ice, VOGA Sparkling, vodka, and lemonade. Stir gently and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Midori's Shiny Shamrock

144 calories, 4 grams sugar

Clocking in at an impressive 144 calories with only 4 grams of sugar, this drink is your best bet if you’re looking for something sweet to swig. As a bonus, it only calls for two simple ingredients.